‘The Drive was Murder’ by Guest Author Alex Knight

“Are you really going to meet him?” Monica was afraid her friend was in for a world of hurt, again.

“Of course, it’s what I’ve been hoping for.” Lisa was beaming.

“But how do you know it isn’t just a booty call because he’s horny again? Remember what happened last time?”

“I remember, but you should have heard him on the phone. He didn’t give me a chance to say or ask anything. A cabin is booked; he’ll be there waiting. If he is just jerking me around he’ll be sorry.” It was an unfortunate choice of words that would come back to haunt her.

Lisa arrived at the cabin to find the fireplace glowing and champagne chilling. Her favorite chocolates were delicately arranged on a crystal plate – tempting her. In the bathroom scented candles lined the large hot tub and a glass of wine was already poured. The note read, ‘Slip in and make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back with your surprise.’

She undressed and slipped into the hot tub. The warmth soaked away all of her stress and previous disillusionment. The soft music was making her drowsy and as she sipped her third glass of drugged wine, Lisa wondered what was taking Weldon so long.

I watched from the window, certain she would be out in minutes. I let myself in and tiptoed to the bathroom; she was out like a light. To make sure she didn’t come to before my work was done; I carefully positioned the syringe and injected enough drugs through her navel to keep her comatose for several hours.

As soon as the hot tub drained, I pulled her out of the tub and into the wheelchair. Rolling it as close to the bed as possible, I unceremoniously dumped her unresponsive body into the bed and covered her up. I would clean up all of the other stuff when I got back from seeing Weldon. I stripped down and quickly dressed in Lisa’s clothes. While we were both the same size, our taste in clothing was vastly different and I wanted to make sure the blood splatter was on one of her most memorable outfits. I grabbed her car keys and headed out the cabin door.

One down; one to go.

I drove to where Weldon waited for Lisa. I’m sure he was wondering what she possibly had to say to him that would make him take her back. Of course the last person in the world he would expect to see would be me.

I knew Lisa quite well, we used to be friends. I was before Lisa, after Lisa, and in between several others who were before and after Lisa. After Weldon decided that the two of us had no future, he thought he was using me. Perhaps he was, but no more than I was using him. As much as I covered my tracks, sooner or later he might piece it all together and although there would be no evidence that could convict me, I needed to be free and clear to start a new life in Australia with Peter.

Part of my plan was for me to drive Lisa’s car. When Weldon looked out of the window and saw Lisa’s car, he went to the door opening it wide. The perplexed look on his face was comical.

“Jamie, what are you doing here? Where’s Lisa, isn’t that her car?”

“She had a change of heart and we didn’t want to leave you up here all alone. Are you ready for some serious play time?” I purred.

“Well sure, always; but we only have tonight. I have to catch a flight to LA at noon.”

“No problem; we’ll be finished long before that.” Since this was the last time we would ever be together I was going to go for the gold. Weldon had always been great at marathon sex and I was going to make sure he satisfied me in every way possible before I carried out my plan.

The sex was as fantastic as I remembered and while I thought it would be a shame to kill him, my resolve did not weaken.

In the morning while he prepared for his shower, I spiked his orange juice. He’d tossed it down in his usual fashion and three minutes later his head hit the floor. He would be out for hours. First I dragged the tip of the knife gently across his chest, more playful than injurious. I was getting aroused but one look at his flaccid penis brought me back to the task at hand.

I plunged the knife in again and again. For a second I thought he tried to speak but it was just a gurgling sound from deep in his throat. He was already dying. I stabbed him several more times for good measure, the way a person would do in a jealous rage. Was I jealous? Perhaps, but I knew he would never be faithful to just one woman and I had already gotten everything I could from him financially. I wiped down everything I had touched. I bagged the knife, the carton of orange juice and the two glasses. I gave a final, approving look around and headed for the door.

I hit the remote start for the car, and opened the front door. Where the hell did all that snow come from? If I could get to the other cabin by noon I would still be safe. I could get to Peter’s and we’d head for City Hall and then the airport and my new life as his bride. I had insisted that we get married before we left the States and he had made arrangements with a Judge for four o’clock.

I slid into the car, tossing all of the bagged crap on the passenger seat. There would be some blood transfer and juice spillage, but it would only help seal Lisa’s fate. Lisa! I might have been able to secure my future with Weldon, but as always, she had to steal my man. Well, if they didn’t give her the death penalty, she could try her wiles on the prison guards.

I got stuck in the driveway twice and cursed my bad luck. This was all Weldon’s fault. If he could have just kept it in his pants we might have already been married and living the good life.

It took me three hours to get to the cabin and I was glad to see the bitch was still out of it. I filled the hot tub with a bleach and laundry soap solution and tossed the clothes I had been wearing into the mixture. I wasn’t worried about any of my DNA being on the clothes, I just wanted it to look like Lisa was trying to clear up her mess.

I removed the glass I had used and carefully washed and dried it. After clasping it in Lisa’s hand ensuring her fingerprints were in the right place and placing it against her lips, I swirled a bit of juice in it then poured it back into the carton. Now there were two glasses, one with Weldon’s prints and traces of a strong barbiturate and the other glass with Lisa’s well-placed prints.

It was time to get sleeping beauty into the shower. I ran the water first so that the floor was wet. I injected her again and placed her and the knife into the shower stall. I ran the water enough to wet her hair and body and leave some blood evidence on the floor near the drain.

I bagged the champagne and note that was ostensibly from Weldon. I packed up all of the romantic paraphernalia and carefully placed the note Lisa had written on the night table. “I didn’t mean to; I’m sorry.” I remember when she wrote it, thinking how much like a suicide note it sounded. I put the pen she had used on the table by the note. No questions or raised eyebrows about the crime scene; no loose ends.

I got her into the wheelchair once again and then back into bed; leaving the knife where it was. Surveying the scene once more, I forced enough of the small pills down her throat to explain the drugs in her system. Making sure there were no telltale wheelchair marks on the carpeting I grabbed everything that had no business being there and headed out the door.

Crap! More snow. Well if it had to keep falling I hoped it would cover my tracks.

I strapped on the snowshoes and took a circuitous route to where my car was hidden in a nearby barn. I was now running behind by close to four hours. I was going to have to really make up some time to get changed and make it downtown in time to marry Peter. If I was much later I would have to just go straight to City Hall and hope he was there waiting.

Peter! He was probably going nuts wondering why he couldn’t reach me by cell. I couldn’t risk bringing it with me and having me placed in the vicinity of Weldon’s vicious murder. I hoped he would buy the ‘girls’ night out before getting married and leaving the country’ story.

The drive was murder but I couldn’t take a chance on pulling over or slowing down. As I got closer to the city I saw that the plows had been out and gave a silent prayer of thanks. I drove by the back of the deserted industrial area and stopped by an open dumpster. I burned the note and tossed the wheelchair and other items in then drove home as quickly as possible. I made it up to my apartment unseen, showered, jumped into my wedding suit and headed for City Hall and Peter. I found him frantically pacing in the lobby.

“Darling, where have you been? I’ve been calling your cell for hours.”

“Sorry Honey, too much partying with the girls; we were up all night! We’re still on schedule though, right?” I kissed his cheek.

“Our flight has been cancelled. We’re stuck for at least another day.”

“Cancelled? The snow isn’t that bad.” I felt queasy.

“Don’t worry; we’ll spend the night at a hotel near the airport. I was lucky enough to grab one of the last available rooms. Thousands of people are stranded. As soon as we can get out, we’re gone.”

Not soon enough for me. I expected to be in Australia before Weldon’s body was discovered. This delay made me antsy.

“The wedding is delayed too; the Judge couldn’t make it in.”

“But we’re still getting married, aren’t we?” Things were quickly unraveling because of the damn snow.

“We’ll get married in Australia. Don’t worry Darling; I’ll make an honest woman out of you.”

Oh Peter, if you only knew. I guess one day couldn’t make that much of a difference. I’d made sure it was an open and shut case.

We settled into the hotel room and Peter put on the TV, hoping for an update on the weather. What we saw instead was Weldon’s body being put in the back of an ambulance and then Lisa’s face on the screen. She was disoriented and being led away in handcuffs.

A close up of Lisa’s cabin showed indistinct snowshoe tracks leading away from the cabin. I couldn’t believe the wind and snow hadn’t eradicated them. Hopefully no one noticed them.

“I’m okay, I just can’t believe it.” I had planned everything down to the last detail, saving taped phone messages from both Weldon and Lisa, painstakingly rerecording them, keeping her stupid note and pen when she broke my antique vase. The one thing I couldn’t control was going to be my downfall.

“I’m sorry; you knew them both, didn’t you? I remember seeing their pictures at your apartment.”

“Yes, I knew them both. He broke off their relationship and Lisa fell apart. The poor thing just couldn’t handle it. She thought for sure they were headed for the altar.”

My heart froze as I stared at the flurry of activity taking place around the cabin. I envisioned the crime scene investigators zeroing in on the tracks that would lead them to the barn. Had I worn gloves when I opened and closed the door the first time? I know I did when I left because it was bloody cold.

I smiled at Peter, but my heart wasn’t in it. The door between my perfect revenge and my perfect future had opened, and slammed shut.

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